About Us

History

In 2004, the NYC Workforce Innovation Fund was established to support efforts that would contribute to building a stronger workforce system in New York City. Over the past ten years, the NYC Workforce Innovation Fund has concentrated its efforts on expanding the quantity and quality of workforce partnerships through pilot programs and capacity building. The first initiative was the New York City Sectors Initiative (NYCSI) which included two sector projects in healthcare and biotechnology; the Sector Strategies Practicum, a capacity building program for workforce development organizations in building sectoral workforce partnerships; and the launch of sector-focused career centers (transportation, healthcare, and manufacturing). Noting the difficulty NYCSI grantees had in sustaining employer engagement throughout the duration of the NYCSI, in 2010 the New York Community Trust embarked on a design process to understand how healthcare employers organize and engage the key trade organizations and union in discussions about their approaches to workforce development. They developed the concept of using an employer-driven approach – all prior to bringing training providers to the table.

In 2011, as a result of this planning, the NYC Workforce Innovation Fund developed a new initiative to engage healthcare employers in analyses of current and future labor force needs, and then partner with education and training institutions to meet these identified needs. This initiative was named the New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare (NYACH).

Watch a video about NYACH and the New York City Workforce Innovation Fund here!